1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a circuit board connector for mounting to a printed circuit board which can receive in electrical connection, another mating connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such circuit board connectors serve for making electrical conductive tracks on a circuit board carrying printed circuits accessible to a pluggable connection. Conventionally, the insulating housing of the circuit board connector is first loaded with the contact elements, and thereafter the terminal pins of all contact elements in the insulating housing, which project from the housing floor of the insulating housing and constitute the securing portions of the contact elements, are urged simultaneously into associated circuit board holes. Especially when the circuit board connector comprises a large number of contact elements, a considerable force is exerted on the circuit board during this operation of simultaneously inserting the securing portions of all contact elements. This force becomes particularly high when, due to unavoidable manufacturing tolerances, individual ones or some of the securing pins of the contact elements enter the associated circuit board holes obliquely or even hit slightly beside the latter. The force exerted on the circuit board may then reach harmful extents. Furthermore, bends of the securing portions of the contact elements leading as far as uselessness may result.
These problems are to be overcome by the present invention. The circuit board connector of the type indicated at the outset is to be improved such that the forces exerted on the circuit board while the securing portions of the contact elements are urged into the circuit board holes remain relatively low also with large numbers of contact elements to be inserted, and furthermore such that the problems are avoided arising due to oblique insertion or in particular due to missing of the circuit board holes.